Baton Rouge Open, Former PGA Tour Stop

The Baton Rouge Open Invitational is a former tournament on the PGA Tour, played 13 times in the mid-20th century. Although this Louisiana event wasn't around long, it produced an impressive list of champions, including its only 2-time winner Arnold Palmer.

First played: 1952

Last played: 1962

Winners of the Baton Rouge Open Invitational

1952 — Jack Burke Jr., 281 (def. Tommy Bolt, Bill Nary in playoff)
1953 — Sam Snead, 275
1954 — Bob Toski, 279
1955 — Bo Wininger, 278 (def. Jimmy Clark, Billy Maxwell in playoff)
1956 — Shelley Mayfield, 277
1957 — Jimmy Demaret, 278
1958 — Ken Venturi, 276
1959 — Howie Johnson, 283
1960 — Arnold Palmer, 279
1961 — Arnold Palmer, 266
1962 — Joe Campbell, 274

The tournament made a splashy debut in 1952. When 72 holes ended with a three-way tie between Jack Burke Jr., Tommy Bolt and Bill Nary, an 18-hole playoff took place. The playoff, played in steady rain, also ended in a three-way tie: All three carded 70s. So they continued into sudden-death holes. They matched scores on the 19th hole, then Burke finally won the title with a 20-foot birdie putt (that skidded across the wet green) on the 20th hole.

Burke's win in the 1952 Baton Rouge Open was his third in three weeks, following the Texas Open and Houston Open. And he won the following week, at the St. Petersburg Open. The streak of four consecutive wins (over four weeks) was, at the time, second only to Byron Nelson's record 11 consecutive wins in 1945.

Jimmy Demaret's victory in 1957 was the 30th (and second-to-last) of his PGA Tour career.

Arnold Palmer was this tournament's only two-time winner, and he earned those titles in back-to-back years, 1960-61. Palmer won by seven strokes in 1960, setting a tournament record. Then he tied it in 1961 with another 7-shot win. Palmer's 266 score in 1961 was the tournament scoring record.

Golf Courses: Baton Rouge Country Club was the host site for all by one year of the tournament's history. In that one other year, the tournament was played at Sherwood Forest Country Club in Baton Rouge.

Sources:
Associated Press. "Burke Tops Bolt, Nary in Play-Off for Links Crown," The (Allentown, Pa.) Morning Call, March 4, 1952.
Associated Press. "Palmer Captures Baton Rouge Title," Fort Worth (Tex.) Star-Telegram, February 27, 1961.
PGA Tour. The Tour Book 1985, All-Time Records.